Water supply at Air Itam Dam to last till end of June: exco

GEORGE TOWN – The effective capacity of the Air Itam Dam will be at a critical level if there is no rainfall in its water catchment area in the next 40 days.

Penang Infrastructure and Transport executive councillor Zairil Khir Johari said the effective capacity of the dam has dropped to 41% and can only last till the end of June due to the prolonged dry season.

Zairil also urged Penang residents to reduce their consumption and conserve water, adding that high consumption has been depleting the dam’s capacity.

“The depletion percentage is higher for the Air Itam Dam because it is a smaller dam with a maximum effective capacity of 2,160 million ℓ. The dam supplies about 30,000 consumers in Air Itam and Paya Terubong,” he told a press conference with Penang Water Supply Corp (PBAPP) chief executive K. Pathmanathan here today.

He added that the Teluk Bahang Dam, which supplies water for about 500,000 consumers, will only be able to last up to 146 days unless rain falls in the catchment areas. 

Zairil said higher domestic water consumption has been the main factor for depleting dams on Penang island, besides a lack of rainfall at the water catchment areas.

“Penang is top of the list in the country with the highest consumption of 286ℓ per capita per day and we would like to appeal to all Penangites to reduce water consumption as it will help us to sustain the raw water reserves of the dams for as long as possible,” he said.

He added that despite Penang recording more rainfall at the end of April this year compared to last year, the rain was not falling at the catchment areas.

Meanwhile, Pathmanathan said PBAPP is fully committed towards managing the effective capacities of the dams.

He said PBAPP will recommend a second round of cloud seeding to trigger rainfall in the water catchment areas of Air Itam Dam and Teluk Bahang Dam.

“We do not wish to cause inconvenience to the people of Penang and Penang-based businesses unnecessarily. With this key consideration, PBAPP will only implement stringent water supply control measures in Penang when it is absolutely necessary and we will accordingly inform the public ahead of time,” he said. – Bernama, May 9, 2023